WHAT PROBLEMS CAN YOU SOLVE WITH THE RIGHT BEHAVIORS?

Regardless of what you do in life and work, I bet you face problems that are important to you and that you fail to fully understand and resolve. You can change this if you recognize the strong problem-solving ability you already possess, enhance this ability, and then apply it to the tough problems around you. Here are some examples of problems you can work on by using the right behaviors:

• Technical problems at home, such as low water pressure or a door that won’t close.

• Technical problems at work, such as critical assets breaking down or underperforming, faulty computer networks, or product quality problems.

• Organizational problems in your business, such as high employee turnover, low customer satisfaction, and logistics headaches.

• Personal health and behavioral problems, such as struggling to adopt new habits that will help you improve your health. Perhaps you want to lose weight or become more physically fit.

• Problems of personal conflict, in which two people that care about each other are upset and don’t see eye-to-eye.

• Societal problems, such as global poverty or violence.

I believe the approaches I cover in this book are applicable to any hard problem, and I encourage you to think about hard problems in your life and draw parallels with the stories I share. I look forward to you adding to these stories with your own successes as you begin to solve hard problems.

This book is not a step-by-step guide. Instead, it will help you understand the behaviors you need to nurture if you want to be the greatest problem-solver you can be. Fulfilling your potential as a problem-solver requires practicing these behaviors, stretching yourself, and ideally, getting strong coaching. I have found no shortcuts or magical methods that can circumvent this. But with practice, you can fulfill that potential, and make both your life and community a better place.